I’m not going to use WhatIfItDid to complain about my job although there are certainly times I would LOVE to do just that. I know… I know… there’s a reason it’s called a job. But what I really want to do is a whole bunch of useless stuff and still get paid for it!
I should rephrase… I want to CREATE useless stuff and get paid for doing it.
I want to make homemade vanilla. (You know… the liquid I only rarely use when baking.) I want to store it in cool looking bottles with handmade labels and smile like Martha Stewart when presenting it as Christmas gifts.
I want to make homemade soap and candles and tarts — basically, all things that smell good. I want to paint (even though I haven’t done it since high school and have no earthly clue where or how to start). I’m talking about watercolors and oils… and I want every single finished product to be a work of art.
I need a new resume.
Ben told me yesterday that although he felt he was about 20 years behind where he should be insofar as his career/work, I could still do whatever I wanted. You guys, that makes ZERO sense. Although it made me feel good to know he thinks I’m capable of doing great things, it also made me question his sanity.
Then he said, “Just look at your resume!” Sadly, my resume doesn’t say one thing about creating useless stuff.
As I’m thinking hard about making a change, I’ll create useless photos of lovely sunsets right here at the place I love more every single day. 🙂
Not gonna’ lie — I have no clue what I’ll be doing in 2024. I do know what my favorite brother will be doing in February of that year because today I secured a speech for him. Notoriously the worst month in the Midwest, he’ll be in Orlando and I’ll likely be in the Ville freezing.
I told the client one night hotel was just fine. That way, I’ll have no reason to be jealous no matter what I will or won’t be doing by then. Aren’t sisters amazing? 🙂
My priority list shrinks as my age grows.
Crazy how dreams of the future change as you age. I’m not sure when it happened, but I’m no longer interested in growth. Not financial growth or career growth… and especially not body size growth. I don’t want to grow my business, the size of my family, or anything else that might’ve been high on my priority list in years past.
What about your future aspirations? What will you be doing in 2024?
I hope if you’re young your dreams are big. In turn, if you’re getting near retirement age (or if you’re already there), I hope your dreams come true — no matter if you’re dreaming of growth or if your dreams focus on winding down. For the short term, I’m simply going to enjoy the holiday season and ponder 2024 another day. 🎄
Dharma’s not going to worry either.
TIL (Today I Learned): In 1984 Weird Al Yankovic’s single “Eat It” reached number 1 in Australia. It outranked the song that it was making a parody of, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” which only reached number 3.
You ever think about how much time you waste every single day simply because you’re a consumer?
Email time sink — on the clock?
I get bajillions — and I mean BAJILLIONS — of email messages every day. Unsolicited commercial email (“UCE” or “spam”) must be opened and scanned because it MIGHT be important. Most subjects on these types of email messages are incredibly good at making one think it actually might be business related!
These emails are on TOP OF all the ones from every company you’ve ever purchased from in the past. This year, it seems that the buzzword is “exclusive.” You want to be exclusive with all the other people, don’t you?
USPS – another way to sell me something?
Even our federal mail system is cashing in and not just by charging postage. If you use their service that scans incoming mail and packages to send an email of what you can expect to be delivered, you’re served up a big ad (purchased, of course by the seller) at the very top. You can’t miss it. Click it and the ad’s sponsor has your details delivered to them.
Digital devices want your money too!
When I put an event on the calendar this morning via Alexa — work related — she let me know she has some deals that might interest me from amazing brands. “Do you want to hear them?” she asks me. NO. I do not.
And those apps… they want their fair share even though you’ve already purchased them!
I love Mailbird for email. I paid my yearly cost of using the business version on 10/17/22. Still… I get a pop-up every time I open the program, AND they keep a nag on my already-paid-for application used for work. You can’t get if off BTW… no way to dismiss it or opt out of it.
NOT COOL, MAILBIRD!
Reach buyers where they are.
I know you have to reach buyers where they spend their time to make them aware of what you’re selling. As long as we’re all spending time online, none of this is going to change.
What we may not even think about is the cost that brand’s marketing endeavors have on all businesses in general.
If you check email while on the clock, use applications for work, have digital devices, and even if you use USPS — it’s costing more than just the brand’s marketing campaign expenses. It’s also costing YOUR employer (YOU if self-employed) time. And… we all know that time is money.
Since it’s Cyber Monday, I have a slightly used wreath that I’d like to offer for sale. You can be the exclusive owner! Just send $199.99 via Venmo and I’ll ship it to you by January 15th. 😉
TIL (Today I Learned): More than 80 percent of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. As a result, we know more about the surface of Mars than Earth.
Yesterday, I received an email from Adobe with a link to download a PDF file about putting yourself in your customers’ shoes. They talk about serving with empathy and creating loyal customers. It’s like they took a chapter directly from my favorite brother’s book that was written 10+ years ago.
Did you know that Google has an Empathy Lab? They do! The lab’s focus is to make voice assistants sound less creepy. If I were unemployed with a career ahead of me, becoming an empathy scientist dedicated to creating caring virtual assistants would be a perfect fit!
Merida would like that job too.
Here’s one more “did you know” fact:
83% of US customers would rather talk to a live person as opposed to a digital customer service agent.
Accenture
Well duh! I can only speculate that the other 17% are tired of trying to understand that person in India – or they’ve been through the endless loop of digital Hell trying desperately to actually GET a real person to talk to.
Serving the Pesky’s with empathy…
Since a good portion of the corn field to the west of here was harvested yesterday, I could almost stretch a string with cans tied to the ends and talk to my Momma. Those pesky neighbors live in the barndo with a green roof in the photo below.
I’ll admit, I ride the struggle bus when it comes to serving their digital needs (multiple iPhones and iPads, an Apple watch, and Alexa) with empathy. I try to put myself in their shoes, Adobe… but it ain’t easy. 😉
TIL (Today I Learned): In the 1960’s people used to drink Dr Pepper as a HOT drink in wintertime.
Today’s workday was one stressful, fun-filled, way too many hours sort of day. It’s nearly midnight and I just closed out all my work related programs and tabs to enjoy a cup of coffee before sleep.
Allow me to give you a glimpse…
The morning started with a client request. To preface, we’re doing a rather large training program for a company that includes workbooks with facilitator guides and worksheets. While my favorite brother provides the content, I do all the graphic work, layout, etc. The request was that we adhere to their specific brand. I was provided 2 PDF files that included how many pixels the logo could be from the edge of a document and a color pallet.
Our program is only used INTERNALLY and this was the primary complaint:
One little number/letter off in the hex code was the primary issue that meant 100’s of pages needed to be modified. So that shot the first part of my day.
Next came an RFP (request for proposal).
I don’t typically do web work for anyone other than my “real” job anymore, but I had a call from a corporation that I’ve worked with for almost 20-years. How do you say no to that? Thing is, because the money is state/federal controlled, a bonified RFP has to be provided, approved by board members, and more. Just do it now and you’re done me thinks.
But by 4:00 PM I was still wearing PJs.
While doing the RFP, I got behind on “real” work. And because I have to have Ms. Pesky at a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning, I plowed through that stuff too. So here I am at almost midnight, and my puppies think I’ve forgotten them. Merida opened the drawer with treats and has been staring at me for the past 15-minutes.
For whomever thinks working from home is easy — they are sorely mistaken. Just ask Merida.
TIL (Today I Learned): Beyonce’s clothing line made to “support & inspire women” was made by women in sweat shops earning $6.10 per day.
